The present invention relates to toilets of the “two piece” type (tank and bowl are separately formed pieces). More particularly it relates to connector assemblies capable of linking such a toilet tank to a toilet base in a way that corrects for out of plumb supporting floor conditions.
During construction of a home or other building it is common for a bathroom floor to be slightly sloped. If a toilet base is installed on a sloped floor, and the tank which is mounted thereon has no way to correct for this out of plumb condition, the top of the tank will also have a slight tip to it. This condition may be aesthetically unacceptable, particularly where there is a plumb visual reference such as a nearby window molding or wall paper striping. Further, it is common for items to be placed on a toilet tank cover. An out of plumb condition uncorrected for could lead to such items not being properly supported on the tank cover.
Attempts to correct for an out of plumb condition by changing the slope of the floor can be very expensive and cause construction delays. Attempts to address the problem by adjusting the junction between the base and the floor could leave an undesirable gap between portions of the lower base and the floor, and in any event may be difficult to achieve depending on the sewer system used.
Another way of trying to overcome such an out of plumb condition is to provide a shim between the toilet bowl and toilet tank. However, shims are not normally included with a new toilet, and correctly shimming can be time consuming and require some carpentry or plumbing skill. Further, a typical installer is not likely to be pleased if they have to use shims. Even more problematic, a shimmed connection might lead to leakage at the joint between the outlet valve extension and the bowl inlet.
Unrelated to this concern it should be noted that most two-piece toilets have been connected to bowl rear extensions using bolts extending from inside the tank, through the tank bottom wall, and then into and through bowl rear extensions. These assemblies require special care to avoid leakage through the tank bottom wall along the bolt, and in any event complicate adjustments in the relative positioning of the tank with respect to the bowl.
A recent improved connector bracket is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,728,976, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. This bracket is positioned under the tank. It suspends attachment bolts that don't need to extend through the tank. This has the advantage of not requiring holes to be formed in the tank bottom wall for the bolts. However, it does not provide for correction for out of plumb conditions.
Hence, a need still exists for improved two-piece toilet assemblies where out of plumb support conditions can be readily corrected for.